1. Field
The present disclosure relates generally to maintenance of objects and, in particular, to an automated system for inspection and maintenance of objects. Still more particularly, the present disclosure relates to a method and apparatus for inspecting aircraft structures using an autonomous robotic inspection and maintenance system.
2. Background
Inspection and maintenance of structures may involve the use of machines, tools, human labor, materials, and/or other suitable items for inspecting and maintaining objects. Various inspection techniques may be used to inspect objects, such as aircraft structures, following suspected damage events or to determine whether scheduled or preventative maintenance is required.
Approaches to aircraft maintenance vary by owner and/or operator, but many rely on costly customized manual methods of inspection and maintenance. Existing aircraft sensors may not be designed to provide the information needed to support major inspections and ongoing aircraft maintenance requirements.
Existing maintenance systems may not provide continuous and/or periodic data needed to detect and monitor component conditions. Existing methods may rely on disassembly to inspect hidden areas. Additionally, manual inspection of large external areas may require lengthy periods of time and access to locations around an aircraft.
Therefore, it would be advantageous to have a method and apparatus that takes into account one or more of the issues discussed above, as well as possibly other issues.